Separator.



F. W. SMITH.

SEPARATOR. APPLICATION FILED DEC. 26, 1914.

Patented Jan; 25, 1916.

2 SHEETSSHEET 1.

' WITNEESES. Y A INVENTOB. 51M44 5;:- d/mM/L W W 0% 1 @W F. W. SMITH.

SEPARATOR.

APPLICATION FILED DEC. 26, 1914.

1,1692%, Patented Jan.25, 1916.

2 SHEETSSHEET 2.

WITNESSES.

FRANK W. SMITH, 0F PORTLAND, MAINE.

SEPARATOR.

Specification of Letters Patent.

Patented J an. 25, 1216.

Application filed December 26, 1914. Serial No. 879,073.

To all whom it may concern:

Be it known that I, FRANK W. SMITH, citizen of the United States,residing at Portland, in the county of Cumberland and State of Maine,have invented certain new and useful Improvements in Separators, ofwhich the following is a specification.

In the preparation of many articles for canning and packaging it issometimes important to separate the articles into various grades orclasses, and my invention relates to and may be used for separating orgrading many articles which before grading are composed of units withdiiferent specific gravities or which by reason of their shape orcondition have a tendency when dumped in a mass into a liquid medium tosink with varying velocities.

The object of the present invention is to provide an apparatus adaptedto take advantage of and utilize this well known fact and to provide anapparatus which is adapted to separate such articles into variousclasses and grades and to deliver them thus separated. It is speciallydesigned for grading peas, which it is well known are plcked when thepeas in the pod are of difierent degrees of ripeness and hardness; butthe apparatus may be used in connection with other articles whichpossess the properties above referred to.

In the drawing herewith accompanying and making a part of thisapplication Figure 1 is a plan view of my apparatus; Fig. 2 is a sideelevation of the same; Fig. 3 is a left end elevation of the same, partsbeing omitted for clearness; Fig. 4 is a right end elevation of thesame; Fig. 5 is a longitudinal vertical section of the return trough andthe pipe conduit leading from it to the separating tank; Fig. 6 is atransverse vertical section taken on line a-a of Fig. 2; Fig. 7 is aplan view of the collector; Fig. 8 is a side elevation of the same; Fig.9 is a longitudinal section of a portion of the same taken on line b?);Fig. 10 is a transverse sectional view of" the. same taken on line cc,'Fig. 11 is an end elevation of the same, and Fig. 12 is a detail insection of the apparatus for delivering the articles which sink in thevarious compartments of the tank; Fig. 13 is a longitudinal sectionalview of one of the chutes, and Fig. 14 is a plan view of the same.

Same reference numerals indicate like parts in the several figures.

In said drawing 1 is the frame of. the apparatus. Mounted upon thisframe is a separator tank 2 divided into a series of hopper likecompartments 3 which converge laterally and longitudinally downwardly.Supported upon the frame in any convenient manner, as by angle irons 4,is a hopper 5 having an opening 6 in the bottom thereof and a slide door7 over said opening. Outside said tank 2 is a return trough 8 whichextends lengthwise of the apparatus and across the end under the hopper,the end under the hopper being provided with a separating screen 9. Thisreturn trough inclines downwardly toward the hopper end 10. The portionunder the hopper 5 is provided with an outlet 11 in the bottom thereof,from which a pipe 12 leads into the tank 2 at the end adjacent saidhopper. From a reservoir 13 adapted to contain air, steam or gas underpressure, a pipe 14 leads into the end of pipe 12 and is provided with abranch pipe 15 which leads into the tank at or near the open end of pipe12 for purposes hereinafter described. The compartments 3 terminate inreceptacles 16. Mounted in the tank and extending from a point near thebottom of receptacle 16 is a tube 17 supported upon brackets 18 and openat the bottom as seen at 19. This tube extends upwardly and has itsdischarge end 20 curved downwardly and laterally to discharge into achute 21. Extending upwardly through the bottonnfof receptacle 16 andinto the lower end of tube 17 is a pipe 22 provided with a nipple 23adapted to receive the end of a pipe 24, a branch 25 of which leads tothe air reservoir 13. Mounted in tube 22 and having threaded engagementtherewith is a spindle 26 having on the end thereof and positioned intube 17 near the bottom a flaring deflector 27 which diffuses the airdischarged through pipe 22. At the opposite end of the apparatus fromthe hopper is a floating collector 28 having a flaring mouth 29extending substantially across the top of tank 2. The open receiving,end is curved upwardly and is supported ;by a float 30 secured to theunder side thereof by an arm 31 which may be adjusted relative to saidcollector by means of screws 32, to adjust the end of the collector inthe liquid medium. The receiving end of the collector 28 is preferablyarranged so that a portion 33 will be submerged below the water line inthe trough, which line is indicated by a horizontal line e-e in Figs. 8and 9, the mouth of the collector being partly above and partly belowsaid water line and adapted to be maintained in a constant positionrelative to said water line by thefloat. The collector is mounted on apivot 34 and the delivery end 35 is directly over and adapted todischarge into a' downwardly inclined chute 36, which chute has aperforate bottom 37 and an imperforate'bottom 38, the former adapted tointercept and discharge the solids and the latter to receive and conveythe liquid to the return trough. The collector is provided with aconduit 39 extending transversely thereof terminating in a hose nozzleor pipe connection 40 for a pipe 40 leading from reservoir 13 and havinga series of ports 4:1 discharging into the collector. \J

The operation of my apparatus is as follows: The tank is filled'with aliquid medium preferably to a point indicated by the water line 0-0,Fig. 2, which is substantially the bottom of the trough at its highestend. The peas or other articles are placed in the feed hopper and areallowed to feed into the end of the trough extending under the hopper.The screenwhile affording no obstruction to the movement oi the liquidmedium prevents the articles frompassing out of the end of the troughand they therefore fall through the opening in the bottom of the troughinto the conduit leading therefrom into the tank, where they are forcedforward through the conduit by a fluid under pressure entering throughpipe 14 and are projectedupward by a fluid issuing from the branch pipe15 causing them to rise to and spread out upon the surface of the liquidmedium. A fluid under pressure from tank 13 is introduced into thecollector through conduit 39 beyond the receiving end thereof and in thepart of the collector which is entirely submerged. ThlS carries theliquid and articles floating therein, upand out of end 35, tending tocreate a vacuum in the submerged part 33, to prevent which the'liquidand floatingarticles near the receiving endof the collector flow intothe collector-and tend to create a current 'in that direction on thesurface of the li uid in the tank. The heaviest articles w' fallinto thefirst compartment, the lighter ones will fall into the secondcompartment,

andjso' on, and the lightest will be drawn into themouth ofanddeliveredthrough the and properly. discharged while the liquid fallsthrough said perforate bottom and into erable to having the liquid fallupon that in i i the trough and returns to the tank thereb maintainingacohstant level. Thls'ls pre the tank, which would tend to (listurhthev5:5 even flow of the surface of the medium 1f In an apparatus'of thecharacter described, a tank adapted to contain a liquid medium, acollector having an open receiving end adapted to be partly submerged insaid medium and means for passing a fluid under pressure into andthrough said 001- lector, the entrance point of the fluid being beyondthe receiving end of the collector, whereby the liquid and substances inthe tank, floating thereon near the mouth of said collector, are drawninto and carried through said collector.

2. In an apparatus of the character described, a tank adapted to-containa liquidmedium, a pivotally mounted collector having its openreceiving'end adapted to float in said medium, its open end partiallysubmerged, means for passing a fluid under pressure into and throughsaid collector, the entrance point of the fluid being beyond thereceiving end of the collector, whereby liq-l uid and substancesfloating thereon are drawn into and carried through said collector. 3.In an apparatus of the character described, a tank adapted to contain aliquid medium, a collector having its receiving end partially submergedand .a portion .of the,

passage in said collector entirely submerged and means for passing afluid-under pressure into and through said collector, the entrance pointof the fluid being. beyond the 'regeivin end of the collector, wherebyliq- 111 an lector. q

4. In an apparatus of the character described, a'tank adapted to containa hquid medium, a pivotally mounted collector having-areceivlng open endadapted to float in said medium, means for maintainin said 0 en end at-aconstant .elevation relative to t e surface of said medium and means forpassing a fluid under pressure into and through saidcollector,theentrance point of the fluid being beyond the receiving end of thecollector, whereby the liquid and substances floating thereon are drawninto and carried through sald collector.

substances floating thereon arev drawn into and carried through said'col 5. In an apparatus ,ogE thecharacter described, a tank adapted tocontain a liquid medium, a'pivotally mounted collector having its openreceiving end adapted to float partially submerged in said medium, aportion of the passage in said collector being entirely submerged andmeans for introdud ing a fluid under pressure into said collector beyondits open end, whereby liquid and substances floating thereon are drawninto and carried through said collector.

6. In an apparatus of the character described, a tank adapted to containa liquid medium, a trough outside said tank and slightly inclinedthereto. a port leading from the lower end of said trough to said tank,a collector having an open receiving end partially submerged, adapted tofloat in said medium and its discharge end adapted to discharge intosaid trough and means for passing a fluid under'pressure into andthrough said collector, the entrance point of the fluid being beyond thereceiving end of the collector, whereby the surface of the medium andsubstances floating thereon are drawn into and carried through saidcollector and the liquid returned to the tank.

7. In an apparatus of the character described, a tank adapted tocontain'a liquid medium, a trough outside said tank and slightlyinclined relative thereto, a port leading from the lower end of saidtrough .to said tank, a collector having a receiving open end partiallysubmerged in said medium and a discharge end, a chute interposedbetween'said discharge end and. said trough, said chute containing aperforate bottom and an imperforate bottom below, means for passing afluid under pressure into and through said collector, the entrance pointof the fluid being beyond the receiving end of the collector, wherebysome of the liquid medium and substances floating thereon are drawninto-and carried through said collector, the solids intercepted and theliquid returned to the tank.

8. In an apparatus of the character described, a tank adapted to containa liquid medium, means for projecting articles upon the surface of themedium at one end of 4 the tank with force tending to float them to theopposite end, an open collector having its receiving end partiallysubmerged in the medium and means for passing a fluid under pressureinto and through said collector, the entrance point of the fluid beingbeyond the receiving end of the collector, whereby the surface, of themedium and substances floating thereon are drawn into and carriedthrough said collector.

9. In an apparatus of the character described, a tank adapted to containa liquid medium, means for projecting solids in mass at one end in saidmedium with force tending to impel them along the surface of the mediumin the tank and means for spreadentrance point of the fluid being beyondthereceiving end of the collector, whereby the surface of the medium andsolids floating thereon are drawn into and carried through saidcollector.

10. In an apparatus of the character de scribed, a tank adapted tocontain a liquid medium provided with a series of downwardly convergingcompartments in the bottom thereof, vertical tubes mounted insaidcompartments above the bottom thereof, means for depositing articles insaid liquid medium, means tending to impel the articles along thesurface of said medium, whereby the said articles fall into the severalcompartments according to the rapidity with which they sink in themedium, means for discharging the articles from the compartmentsconsisting of a fluid under pressure introduced into said tubes.

11. In an apparatus of the character described, a tank adapted tocontain a liquid medium provided with a series of downwardly convergingcompartments in the bottom thereof, each compartment provided -with avertical tube positioned above the botthe contents of the compartmentsare discharged through said tubes.

12. In an apparatus of the character de scribed, a tank adapted tocontain a liquid medium provided with a series ofdownwardly convergingcompartments in the bottom thereof, vertical tubes mounted in saidcompartments above the bottom thereof means for depositing articles insaid liquid medium, means tending to impel the articles along thesurface of said medium, whereby the said articles fall into the'severalcompartments according to the rapidity with which they sink in themedium, means for discharging the articles from the compartmentsconsisting of a fluid under pressure introduced into said tubes, meansfor separating the discharge and means for returning the liquid portionof the discharge into the charging end of the tank.

In testimony whereof I aflix my signature in presence of two witnesses.

FRANK W. SMITH.

Witnesses:

ELGIN 'C. VERRILL, CHARLES L. FOSTER.

